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In other news...
October 3, 1996
Web posted at: 11:30 p.m. EDT (0330 GMT)
Rabin's assassin gets more jail time
TEL AVIV, Israel (CNN) -- A judge Thursday ordered Yigal Amir, who is already serving a life sentence plus six years for killing Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, to serve another five years in prison for conspiring to attack Palestinians.
Calling them "sons of evil," the judge also sentenced Amir's brother, Hagai, to 12 years on weapons charges and for plotting to kill Rabin and attack Arabs. Their friend, Dror Adani, was sentenced to seven years.
Before his sentencing, Yigal Amir said he only regretted not killing Rabin earlier because it would have prevented last week's deadly violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"It would have prevented all that's happening today. Everything that's happening today I predicted."
Related stories:
- Rabin's assassin, two others convicted of conspiracy - September 11, 1996
- Fan club for Rabin's assassin shocks Israelis - August 14, 1996
Germany marks unification with subdued ceremony
BERLIN (CNN) -- Germans marked the sixth anniversary of their country's unification Thursday with an acknowledgment that economic woes and lingering social divisions have left some residents with little to celebrate.
Chancellor Helmut Kohl said much had been accomplished since October 3, 1990, when East and West Germany officially became one. But he said it would take years before the work in building up the east German economy is completed.
"Our common achievement in building up the new (eastern) states are recognized and admired around the world," he said.
Germany's recent economic downturn has hit the eastern states especially hard. Unemployment in some areas is nearly 20 percent -- double the national rate.
- Berlin falls on hard times - June 5, 1996
Fire kills wildlife in South African park
PRETORIA, South Africa (CNN) -- Thousands of animals and birds were killed after fire destroyed one-third of South Africa's Kruger Park, the country's main tourist attraction.
But officials say they are not overly concerned, because the fires, which were ignited by lightening, are part of the park's natural ecological cycle.
Winds caused the blaze to spread rapidly, destroying a quarter of the grazing land. Vast areas were reduced to blackened stubble. Kruger Park has the greatest diversity of wildlife in the world.
Singapore urges citizens: Say 'cheese'
SINGAPORE (CNN) -- In Singapore's latest effort to control the lives of its citizens, the government is advising them to smile more.
Such campaigns -- from the language they should speak to the number of children they should have -- are nothing new for the island nation. Hardly a day goes by without some new national campaign trying to tell people how to act.
The smile ad pops up on television regularly. And while everyone agrees it's not a bad thing to get people smiling, not everyone is happy about the way it's being done. Critics say the campaign encourages people to put on fake smiles aimed at visitors, just to rake in more tourist money.
The government's philosophy: If residents smile more, visitors will feel more welcome and they will stay longer. But the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, which organized the campaign, says the goal isn't quite so mercenary.
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